Monday, October 3, 2011

Pumpkin Pie Fudge

I'm shocked that I'm posting another fudge recipe. While the Key Lime Pie FudgeI posted a while back didn't involve a candy thermometer, this recipe does. Candy thermometers intimidate me and I know they shouldn't. I mean, mine has color coded areas for soft ball stage and hard ball stage and is pretty self explanatory. I think what gets me all nervous is the cooking of the sugar. In just a split second, the beautiful velvety mixture can turn into a crumbly, dry rock. It just scares me.

This Pumpkin Pie Fudge was inspired by the key lime pie fudge. I found a pumpkin fudge recipe and thought that it would be great to give it a crust, but not just a graham cracker crust, a gingersnap crust. I think it really complements the pumpkin.

Line an 8x8 pan with foil or parchment paper, extending it up and over the pan.
Butter the sides and bottom of the pan, especially the corners. Set
aside.

Preheat oven to 375. In a medium sized bowl, melt butter and then
stir in sugar with a fork, breaking up any lumps. Add gingersnap crumbs
and mix well. Spread evenly into the baking pan and bake for 4 to 5 minutes or
until edge is lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire
rack.

Stir together first 6 ingredients in a 3 1/2-quart saucepan over
medium-high heat, and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a
boil. Cook, stirring constantly, until a candy thermometer registers
234° (soft-ball stage) or for about 12 minutes.

Remove pan from heat; stir in remaining ingredients until well
blended. Pour into the greased aluminum foil-lined pan. Cover and chill for several hours or overnight. Lift the fudge from pan using
edges of foil or parchment. Peel off foil and cut the fudge into one-inch
pieces.

This sounds so yummy and the photo just makes my mouth water! Using ginger snaps for the crust is creative genius! I'm gluten-intolerant, but I have a favorite brand of gluten-free ginger snaps that will work perfectly. I just never thought of using them in place of graham crumbs, so thanks for the inspiration! I can hardly wait to try the recipe and I'll be dropping by your blog frequently from now on. ��